blackamp wrote:I picked up a TFM-35 last year.Should I plug the amp into my Panamax or right into the wall? Will a surge suppressor limit current to the amp?

Well According to Bob Carver himself he said PLUG everything he makes Directly into the wall Plug! I have all my Amp's plugged in the wall Plug but here I am fairly safe from Electrical storms and if one comes - I can just un-plug my amps temp...

BillD, You will be forever with us! RIP until we meet again on the other side...

While at Carverfest last year, Matt and I poised this question to Bob about his TFM-45 going through a Panamax. Living in Florida, we were concerned about all of the thunderstorms and lightning hits. Bob told us it was not necessary, that the 45 had adequate protection built in. He also told us it would not hurt anything. Of course, there is the school of thought to use for amp only, nothing else. That is for each individual user to decide if you can hear a difference or not. (part of the tweaking process) Ground loop issues can also play a role.

Since we are lazy and like the turn on/off /trigger feature in the proper sequence, we use the Panamax/Panamaxes. When I was using the TFM-75, I was using two Panamaxes and two dedicated circuits (have a total of (5) 20 amp dedicated circuits in HTR) just for that beast. (Keeping in mind, the 75 has two power cords which are two prong)

My two cents.

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I have a whole house surge suppressor/power conditioner installed which has the same function as the small strips but all the power in the house is protected by it. I don’t think I should have the current draw issues that you would get from the small plug-in surge suppressing power strips. If you’re concerned with lightning strikes this may be an option for you.

I have always run my carver amps over the years on surge suppressors. M-200t, a pair of M-500ts, and my Silver 7t.s.

Run through cheap protected power strips, high-end Belkins, Zero Surges, Panamax, and a few other computer-related brands.

I don't notice a difference in the sound when I run them directly off the wall, and the added protection makes me feel safer. I've lived in the DC area (some of the DIRTIEST power in the nation--full of HUGE RFI and EMI spikes and all sorts of HF and AM hash), and in NC (where electrical storms are a weekly event).

I can't say which is best for someone else, but in my rig, I don't notice any degradation, and the added safety for my gear keeps my nerves calm...

In general, I agree with the consensus here that Carver/Sunfire amps should be plugged directly into the wall. Having said that, however, let me note that you likely won't hear a difference unless the source material, the position of your volume control, and the load your speakers put on the amplifier present a demand requiring very high (instantaneous) peak current flow.

stereo_buff wrote:In general, I agree with the consensus here that Carver/Sunfire amps should be plugged directly into the wall. Having said that, however, let me note that you likely won't hear a difference unless the source material, the position of your volume control, and the load your speakers put on the amplifier present a demand requiring very high (instantaneous) peak current flow.